What is the main reason you use it for deer? I have been toying with the idea of 22-250 in Tikka which has a 1:8 twist I believe. I know there are guys on here who have used a 22 caliber on deer for years, including shooting them behind the shoulder. I do understand the importance of bullet construction when using .22 bullets.
Along with that, do you usually see a lot of bloodshot meat due to the warp speeds? Most of my shots are within 100 yards, and I don't like throwing away a lot of meat.

One of my long time hunting partners of 24+ years hunts with a 22/250 Ruger mannlicher using the factory iron sights. I thought it was a terrible choice for a deer rifle, but he had no trouble rolling deer with 55grn bullets. After seeing what he could do with it, it was clear that my opinion was not holding back any of his success.

The other example was a teenage daughter of a landowner whose property I hunt on who used a .223 with 55grn bullets also had no trouble killing deer, no drama of any sort. After she dropped a 150 class buck over 200lb live weight with one shot, I had to rethink how effective the .22 centerfires are.

Since then I have used the .223 and .22 Creedmoor with 75grn+ projectiles on deer and have no complaints.

I've mainly used them to see what was possible, and so I could speak to their effectiveness or lack thereof.

Don't you have a good cast bullet load for your 358?

Certainly 22 centerfires work well for some shot angles and not others, if you are happy with that limitation you will be just as successful as anyone else. Some of my deer hunting takes place where shot angles are a big variable.

Low recoil and an easy carrying gun I am comfortable with. I hunt deer every year with a 223.

No more lost meat than with a .24 caliber rifle.

Partitions, 55 grain Gamekings and a few plastic tipped bullets.

Some under 25/30 yards out to 250-300 yards.

Behind the shoulder with all but Partitions, through the bone with Partitions, blade or knuckle joints. Hitting the knuckle with a Partition will be the most bloodshot meat.

No need to start 22 caliber bullets at warp speeds and induce bloodshot meat. An 88 grain ELDM will run in the 2900 fps range from that Tikka, which is a good starting speed for that sort of bullet.

A sample of eight deer all adult does shot in the ribs with 223 and 22-250. I have yet to get A exit wound with soft point bullets.

The main reason I have used it is because it works.

It works on whitetail deer, feral pigs, coyotes, bobcats, javelina, and all sorts of small varmints.

In my .223's, a 64 gr Federal Fusion bullets over a suitable charge of TAC, CFE-223, or Varget gets the job done.

Ed

Yup, but have 2 boys coming along that will need guns as well!

I have in the past and it didn't turn out very well measured by my personal yardstick. Each time is a learning opportunity.

First time was with a .223 with a 1-12" twist and it was before there were many good hunting bullets to choose from. I had one tuned up and ready to go but at sight-check a day before season opener I got 3-4 case head separations out of 10 shots and the other cases looked ready to go. I had forgotten to re-adjust my dies switching from my standard WW brass to the Federal brass I used for that hunting ammo and, being "dead" rather than springing back, the federal cases had wildly excessive head space. Anyway, I switched to a less good bullet and had less than acceptable results. I got the deer but it was a rodeo. The bullet went through some inches of soft tissue expanding which slowed it down and it didn't have enough momentum left when it hit heavy bone (spine, under the chin, head-on) ... it stopped mushroomed out on the close side of the spine.

The second try was with a very good bullet, 55 grain TBBC, in a .22-250. It killed the deer stone dead, bored a 2 inch clear through the rib cage including heart, but it also turned everything "north" of the hams to goo. Pick that one up with a ladle. Impact speed was around 3500 fps best guess.

I'm going to try again. Things have changed. I have an AR with a fast twist that shoots the Nosler 70 grain Accubond very accurately. Velocity won't be extremely high. Construction is appropriate. I'm expecting a good outcome.

First deer I ever killed with a CF rifle, when I was 19 and didn’t know any better, was a running doe at 290 yards that did a face plant , courtesy of my .222 shooting a 50 grain Norma factory load. I have long since given up shooting at running deer, but one or more of my.22 CF’s is in the rotation every year.


That's a typo. ^^^^^^^^^^It was 200 yards, not 290.

It’s a good thing your rifle has that fast twist. Take advantage of it and shoot a bullet that maxes out under 3000 fps, or better yet a little slower.

I shoot a 70 grain Speer SP out of my 223. It kills deer very well and does no meat damage. I haven’t shot shoulders with them, but I think they would work fine. Would pick a heavier bullet for your 22-250, or load down to 28-2900 fps if you choose a lighter bullet.

I have 1 in 8 223’s and a 1 in 8 22-250. They hill cshit out of pigs with a 62 grain Bear Claw or a 62 grain Barnes. I haven killed a deer, but have hit bunches of pigs in their shoulders, went clean through. Some were 225 yards. That has changed my my mind about using 22’s for deer. It’s 225 yds to that protein feeder, have killed a bunch in that feeder pen. Deer in the pen I think, hard to tell, small 8 as I recall.

Exit after plinking a big doe broadside with a suppressed AR shooting 77gr TMK last season. I'll likely do it again when it's time to get some more freezer-deer. Felt very odd to pull the trigger and quietly watch it all happen through the scope, much like knocking a squirrel off a limb with a 10/22.

i have killed deer with a 17 Rem.,22 mag, 22-250 ,220 Swift ,243 ya they worked but sometimes you may have to track that deer too ? when i hunt for bigger bucks that are in super great shape in the fall /Rutt they do die hard sometimes so more gun is better then ,there are plenty good cartridges out there to hammer a nice buick i use a 257 Weatherby mag. works well for me.

I’ve shot several truck loads of deer with sierra1365’s and quite a few with 55&60gr hornady soft points out of 22-250’s. They all kill deer very well. Only the 60’s usually gave pass through. Properly hit deer will not go far at all with any of those three bullets.

I've only shot 1 animal with a 22-250, an antelope. I used a Sierra 55gr Spitzer. It went through both lungs and the heart. I found it in the far shoulder. I had a 10 yard tracking job.
I have another antelope tag this year. I loaded up some 64 gr Noslers. It's a slow twist barrel and I haven't had a chance to shoot them yet so I can't say how they'll do.

I started shooting .22 caliber bullets about 15 years ago when I got my first can for a 5.56... Did it just to see the results mainly and now, it's what I shoot 95% of the time. Just don't stretch it out too far on deer/hogs and place your shot.

If I think I am going to shoot 300-600 yards I bring a bigger gun.

I have killed stuff with a lot of 62, 60 and 55gr soft points. Also killed a fair amount of hogs with FMJ's at 100 yards or less in the neck.

No bullet/caliber will make up for POOR SHOT PLACEMENT.

I have taken 4 does with my Savage 22HP made in 1917. Between 20 and 50 yards. I shot in the lungs went about 75yrds, without snow I don't know if I'd have found her. The other three were neck shots and all dropped, never found any bullets. Used rem 70 grain sp. I know it's not in the same class as the 223, 22-250 ect.

I've used 55gr Remington soft points, V-Max and Ballistic Tips on hogs and deer out of a .22-250rem. The noslers seemed to give the best performance. I've since switched to 60gr Hornady soft points and that is a very tough bullet. It always exits on broadside shots, even at 300 yards. I question if it would even expand enough out of a .223.

The 55gr V-Max seems to work better on large game at .223 velocities but still not great. It needs a heavier but still fairly soft bullet to perform it's best imo. The one spike I've taken with a 63gr Sierra smp worked flawlessly and exited at about 200 yards.

I have recovered a fair number of bullets 0f 60 and 62grn. Soft points provide a picture perfect mushroom out to 300 yards or so. Truly impressed with all of them.

A .223ai is my doe - meat gun, I like watching the head snap. FYI, you get no blood shot meat when you shoot deer in the head. So far I never recovered a 62gr ttsx or 68gr bthp out of a .223.

I killed a couple deer with a .223 bolt rifle years ago, using 55 gr. Sierra Spitzers. Worked good with behind the shoulder shots. The wildest .22 centerfire I've ever heard of, is a 6mm Rem. case necked to .224 diameter.

It is designed around a fast twist barrel and heavy controlled expansion bullets. The designer called it a .224 Texas Trophy Hunter.

The main reason is that it works, in spades. Easy and comfortable to shoot , and doesn't ruin any more meat than the bigger cartridges do.

^^^This^^^^

A 62 gr TSX or 60 gr Nosler Partition works well too.

I took a 3x4 Mule deer buck 20 years ago with a borrowed .22-250 shooting 55 grain Sierra Gamekings after discovering a scope issue resulting in a miss with my .300 Savage.

The little 55 grain bullet was planted behind the shoulder into the lungs at 200 yards and dropped the buck right away.

My Dad has shot lots of deer and some feral hogs with his .22-250 over the years.

For some reason I would like to use my .220 Swift to take a deer or antelope at some point.

I have seen lots of deer taken with .224’s and largely they kill as well as the .243 or .250-3000 in my experience. I have seen a handful of flub-ups but I believe these were largely due to improper bullet selection and improper shot placement.

I tend to eschew plastic tipped bullets for deer in .224 caliber. They are designed for varmints and coyotes.

A sierra gameking, nosler partition or accubond, even one of the monometal bullets are what you want.

The main reason my family used it was when my kids were smaller, they handled the light recoil from a .223 much better than a .308 or larger caliber.

The .223 has been a mixed bag for us. My son nailed a medium sized boar hog with his bolt .223 and rolled it on the spot, no tracking. However, the first deer he ever shot with the same rifle involved a 4 hr. Tracking job and it was just a miracle we were able to find it.

My daughter shot her first deer with a 16” AR-15 and it didn’t make it 20 yards. However, we lost the second one she shot with the same rifle.

I’ve shot one deer with my sons .223 bolt gun, straight through the shoulders and we almost lost it. Blood trail ran out after about 50 yards and just got lucky doing circles out in the woods when I came across it. The bullet left a decent size exit hole, and I’m not sure why it stopped leaking.

All shots were using factory Hornady red box 5.56 TAP with the 75 grain T2 bullet. At the time it was supposed to be one of the most devastating.223/5.56 rounds available.

As the kids got bigger, they’ve moved up to 300 Blackout super sonics, 30-30s, and .270s. They’ve had much more consistent recovery results while hunting with these rounds. They simply put the game down faster on average than with the .223.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure every deer they hit with their .223s died. But we only recovered about half of them.

Back in the early 1970s worked with a guy, whose only "deer" rifle was the same 22-250 he killed woodchucks with. He used Winchester 64gr Power Points for deer, some 55gr varmint load for the rodents. Never any issues with deer that I can recall, as he usually got one each year.

I loaded up some of the then new Nosler 60gr Partitions for one of my 22-250s years back. Hit on a load that printed within a half inch at 100, of the varmint loads I used. Kiiled two doe with that load, both dead on the spot.

Not yet, but it’s on the list. I have a bunch of Nosler 64gr bonded, maybe some TTSXs I can load. Would also consider Gold Dots. Very little doubt about the outcome on deer. A bear would make me think about it some…

Have a local friend who hunts elk with a .220 Swift--but he only hunts cows anymore, and they're often in herds, and he doesn't want the bullet to exit and possibly hit another elk. (He's a retired outfitter/guide, among other things he's retired from. For guiding he carried a 7mm Remington Magnum, and the bullets often exited.) He shoots cows with the Swift behind the shoulder, using the same 55-grain softpoints he uses for coyotes, and they die pretty quickly.

Cousin who lives back in West Virginia. bought a 22.250 model 700 back around 1980 or so.. He got Orchard Permits in WVA for $2.00 each year and can shoot 25 deer a year on it, but NO one is is ever counting.

His wife's family was up from Florida for hunting season and left their guns at home, since Ben had so many at the time.
so Ben's deer rifles were all being used. it was a " bad season" and they were almost seeing nothing. They get home and Ben's wife tells them, there is a big dead buck up across a 5 acre field she shot dead from the kitchen window, under an apple tree.

Been asked what she used and she told him, what ever gun you left behind here... the 22.250 Didn't believe her, but they sent one of the kids up there to look and he found a fairly large buck up there dad, running back to the house with his pants on fire. Gloria's brothers and Ben walked up there, to retrieve the deer. Before they left, they asked where had she shot it at, doubting it all. Answer was, you said it was light for deer, so I aimed at its eyeball.

When they got up there, that is exactly where the deer had been hit... right in the eyeball. She shot from a rest on the high window ceil. Ever since that time, Ben has used nothing but his 22.250 for deer, to the tune of 25 to 30 animals a year.
Ammo used has been Remington 22.250 ammo with a 55 grain SP bullet, nothing fancy.

was back east last summer, and we dropped by the see Ben and Gloria. Told me had given away all of his rifles to others, when he turned 70 and that season shot his biggest buck ever. But he kept the 22.250. That is all he uses, but then since 1980, that was about all he has used.

He went from a 270 down to the 22.250, but says its a better killer than the 270 because shot placement is easier due to lack of recoil. That is 25 plus deer a year, for 40 years. His boys grew up on venison and pork. Beef tastes funny to them.
That 22.250 has taken down anything he shot on his property down there.

just plain worked.

When I was growing up there were two neighborhood boys (friends of mine) about my age and their father bought them new deer rifles when we were all around 14 years old. Turns out that they thought the .270WCF kicked a lot more than their 22-250 and .222 Rem Mag, so they went back to the .22cal bolt guns. They killed the heck out of deer with them, using green box Remington PSP ammo. They shot those rifles pretty well.

The deer we have shot with a .223 couldn't have had anymore damage if they were shot with a .300 WM. Mulies or WT's from 50 to 150 yards, shot with 55gr TTSX, none of WT's took a step. The mulie ran about 40 pouring blood out of both sides, that we could see as it ran.

No bullets were recovered.

I shot a handful of deer and hogs with the 62TSX at 3300+ and it worked well even on lung shots, so long as the animals were close enough for impact speed to still be high. Performance/damage didn't look much different from high-speed .257/.264/.284 mono bullets I've also used. I've used that same bullet a bit at lower impact speeds and the results/damages were not as good.

Shot placement is king, but it’s definitely a lot easier to blow the guts out of a deer with a 30/06 than a 223.

Saw a buck shot with either a TNT or an SXSP from a 22-250 one time. Probably last rib.

That deer lasted about 2 steps and fell over dead.

Pushing a frangible bullet nearly 3800 fps and he got sick in a hurry.

Not saying that would be the case every time but there's something to be said for turning things loose on the inside.

Those 55 grain Gamekings are a fine deer bullet from a 223 or 22-250. We probably tried em in a 222 or Swift but I don't recall.

When I was a kid starting out hunting in the early 80’s all my Dad had was a .222 and a 22-250 so it’s what we used. All my friends used 222’s and 22-250’s as well with some 223’s also thrown in.

As I grew as a hunter I used a lot of larger cartridges for deer and such. After several years I realized they didn’t do anything the 22 CF’s didn’t do, except recoil more and cost more to load and shoot.

I bought some .224 62 grain Sierra Gamekings and they shoot great out of my 1-12” twist .220 Swift. Am thinking that will be my hunting bullet for whatever I shoot with it.

You'll be impressed by the terminal performance of the 64 NBB. It's grenade like, but penetrates well.

22 centerfires recoil mildly enough that you never lose the picture of the animal. The mild recoil affords plenty of bench time. People shoot 22 centerfires better than they shoot harder recoiling chamberings. Bullets are nominally less expensive, and when it comes to 223 brass, it is widely available and cheap. Once you have done post-mortem on enough deer shot with 22 centerfires, you realize the damage to the vitals is indistinguishable from the damage imparted by much larger centerfires. Given all that, the question isn't why, it becomes why not?

Two different cal. bullets of same construction moving the same speed, bigger and heavier is going to do more damage. The question is, is it needed.

I've killed one each with .221 Fireball and .225 Win with X Bullets (45 and 53gr), for what it's worth, no issues. The last deer I killed was with a 55gr Fusion out of a .22-250. It did not exit, but resulted in a picture book mushroom.

Federal Fusions in my experience are one of the better factory cup n core bullets out there. It is no surprise that yours did so well!

Sort of cup n core.

It's a bonded bullet.

If you have the twist and can find some, try the 75 gr Gold Dots. They’re made the same as fusions and penetrate deep. I haven’t caught a 75 yet.

It's a Savage 99 with 1/14 so doubt it would handle it.

i only have one doe that i killed with a 22-250AI (1 in 8" i believe) with a 75gr A max and i forget what powder. it was only 30ish yards and it was a headshot. basically why i did it is i told myself, "myself, why don't i use the 22-250AI to take deer?" so i did. am i going to do it again? no. i'm not against the 22, but it is just not me.

Some of you brought up something interesting, and something I tend to overlook. That is hard angle shots. My biggest buck ever was taken on the last day of season at noon. Not that big for some of you guys (130), but pretty big for where I hunt.
It was pretty thick, and hard to see. I had actually shot at him and missed, but the group of does he was with did not know where I was, so they cautiously eased out of the bottom I was in. I saw the lead doe cross an opening at 80 yards where they were going up over the ridge, so I got my gun on that spot. The buck was last, and as he crossed the opening squeezed the trigger. He was quartering hard away.
Went up to where I shot, and there he lay, 40 yards from the shot. He was quartered so hard that the entryways right in front of the ham, and exit in front of the shoulder. I was using a 260 with 140 accubonds. Not sure what would have come of that deer with a 22 caliber rifle.
I think for myself I may be more comfortable with something slightly larger

Jeyvod, I agree with you there. I've said it before, but our hunting here might give a guy 2-3 opportunities on shooter-grade bucks throughout the entire season and there may not be a perfect broadside scenario involved. Considering the amount of effort and time associated with my hunting, I'm not keen on blowing an opportunity or having to pass because I brought the wrong rifle. I'll certainly carry a .22 centerfire for "targets of opportunity" and I enjoy using the smaller rifles to take does and pigs, but I usually want a .257 caliber or larger centerfire in my hands for my general purpose deer hunting, which often takes place near some pretty heavy cover.

Jeyvod, i agree with you too, or three.

the average size deer for me is 150lbs, altho they can get up to 250lbs or bigger. i shot a doe that weighed 263 lbs. most of my shot at 30-40 yards, but over 300 yards, i shot deer that i could count on one hand and have fingers left over. i hunt for meat, but shooter grade bucks are in my preview. most of my hunting area, it is lucky to get a 60ish yards shot on deer. you can see deer or pieces of deer. i shot an 8pt at 12 feet in the shoulder, because of the brush around the deer and me. i tried to my shot behind the shoulder or in the neck, but it was thwarted by brush. if i were doing that with a 22CF, i wouldn't touch the trigger. i used a Ruger #1 in 270 Win with 130gr Nosler BT and IMR4320 going roughly 3000fps+. that's another story on why i use cast bullets on deer.

22 Creed 90gr A-tip has been a deadly combination for me. Most drt, a few managed to move 10-12 yds

1-14” twist, 22-250, you need some 63 gr Sierra SMP’s.

I have a doe antelope tag and the season doesn't start until the end of Oct. By that time, the antelope will be well herded up for the winter. With my 22-250, the trick won't be to avoid a hard angle shot but rather to find a broadside without several more behind it.

A263lb DOE.
LMFAO... I think you meant 163...

Does anyone use the Speer 70 gr. that is kind of like a round nose? I think those would be real good, and they are reasonably priced.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-grn-speer-semi-pointed-spitzer-for-deer

Hornady Steel Match 75 gr BTHP worked on these hogs via my HBAR.

The 70 Speer is an outstanding deer bullet. Look not further.

60 grain Partition, 22-250.

20 yard max on shot distance and 40-50 yard run. Shot through the blades which are easy to get through anyway.

My 14” twist 22-250 shot the 63 sierras and the 64 NBB really well. 60 NP could barely get on target.

My first Whitetail kills were with a 220 Swift. 55 gr Norma ammo put them down like a lightning bolt at about 200 yards.

220 Swift will do the job with proper bullet placement.

Main reason I use it for deer is because it works.

The reason I started using one more is because of all the naysayers. Had a friend use nothing but a Ruger Varmint 22-250 for years with Winchester 55gr factory ammo. My boys and I used a Rem LVSF and 53gr TSX's to kill a pile of deer and antelope. Have since used a 222 with 64gr Sierra's and 55gr Hornady GMX's with no issues. This year am going back to the LVSF, now with a 1:8 twist and 77gr Scenars.

Have not been particularly picky about shot presentation. Good is good, and bad is bad.

From my observations, there is less meat loss than with a 270 and bigger cartridges/calibers.

I have used .223 on deer many times. I only neck shoot when using them. Fast ,quick and humane. I pass on shots that I can't get a clear neck shot. I prefer a 7'08 for deer most times, even then I like neck shots if I have time to get a good resting shot.
"'

We roasted a neck last night that’s been in the freezer at least for two years. Was the best neck roast I’ve ever done and possibly the best roast I’ve ever had. Has me seriously rethinking taking neck shots, which I started out doing. Mostly a rib/lung shooter now and my 223 with 70 Speers is excellent for that task.